Matthew Rodriguez, 18, was arrested in Pennsylvania on Friday in connection with the fatal shooting of seven-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore in Brooklyn. The NYPD, working with US marshals, apprehended Rodriguez two days after the drive-by shooting that New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch described as 'a tragedy that truly shocks the conscience'.
The suspected shooter, 21-year-old Amuri Greene, was arrested shortly after the incident on Wednesday. Greene pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges at his arraignment on Friday night. According to a court complaint, Greene was riding on the back of a moped when he fired into a group of people on a street corner.
Kaori's mother, Lianna Charles-Moore, told the New York Post that she initially thought the gunshots were fireworks. After comforting her two-year-old son, who was grazed by a bullet, she saw her baby daughter bleeding from a head wound. 'My daughter was innocent. She didn't deserve that,' Charles-Moore said, adding that Kaori was just beginning to crawl and say 'Mama'.
Greene told police he was aiming for another person in the crowd, according to the court complaint. The moped crashed into a car two blocks away, injuring Greene, who was hospitalised and taken into custody. The driver fled the scene. Authorities have not yet released court papers detailing Rodriguez's alleged role, but they have not indicated they are looking for any other suspects.
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and police commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed heartbreak over Kaori's death. Research by Everytown for Gun Safety shows firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the US. Greene is being held without bail; a message seeking comment was left with his attorney. No working telephone number for Rodriguez could be found.
